


Reality Hits

by killercatchy



Category: SKAM (TV)
Genre: Alcohol, Catfishing, First Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Online Dating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 05:51:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killercatchy/pseuds/killercatchy
Summary: Alternate universe where Isak has fallen for this great looking guy he’s met through Tinder. When they meet in real life, a few things turn out to be different to what Isak imagined.





	Reality Hits

Isak knows Jonas wants to say something important, but Johan has finally responded to the text Isak sent ages ago, so Jonas will have to wait.

Matching with Johan on Tinder was like hitting the jackpot, Isak thought. Finally there was a guy who’s first message wasn’t some overtly sexual comment. There had been genuine conversation about music and hobbies. Conversation had been easy, only getting awkward with the pauses that would happen on Johan’s end, but other than that, Johan seemed as into the whole thing as Isak.

The constant string of compliments Johan would throw at Isak sure helped convince Isak that the other boy still had interest; even when the pause on conversation would be a little too long. Isak would slip a few the other way, sometimes, to get the desired attention. It’s easy to do so. Johan is amazingly beautiful. Like something Isak had thought up; all long limbs, big blue eyes and that hair on his head was almost begging for fingers to roam in it. They would be great together, once together actually happened.

Okay, so they hadn't met yet. 

They would though, once Johan got to Oslo. They had been talking about that for a week now, after writing back and forth for two months. Are still going on and on about it. Johan keeps going back and forth, both wanting to meet but insisting that his parents might not be too happy about it. Then back to wanting to meet, then not being up for it again because he might be too busy during his family vacation. Isak’s been begging for a short meet-up - just a cup of coffee, something Johan loves to drink. But it’s hard.

  * _You know I want to meet you, but I also have to find the time, you know._



Isak huffs at the response. Jonas reaches over the table and takes Isak’s phone just as Isak starts to respond.

“I was texting someone, man!” Isak protests, swinging his hand out for the phone. Jonas is prepared, snags it up to his chest. “Jonas -.”

“As I was saying,” he says, ignoring it when Isak starts to speak again, “you have to come to this thing with me. If not for me, then for Sana. She needs all of us for support. You know how important Yousef is to her. Besides, she said one of her brother’s friends might be something for you, so you might get an actual date out of this, instead of your sad Tinder crush.”

Isak gets up and takes his phone back. Responds quickly to the text from Johan.

  * _Then find the time._



“I’m gonna go,” Isak says, looking at Jonas who’s smiling triumphantly in response. “Not for you, or whoever Sana think’s she’s setting me up with. I’m going ‘cause I promised Sana to come when we spoke yesterday.”

That’s a lie. But a small party like that would be a good way to maybe force himself to play it cooler with Johan. Sure, they like each other, Isak has been able to confirm that much, but Johan suddenly doing a hot-and-cold act, so Isak has to be able to play along. Playing games that way is really hard, when you have to do it without back-up. Jonas had helped him out in the beginning, but nobody really believed in the relationship in the first place. So Isak is on his own in the whole thing now. 

When even Sana is trying to set him up, it’s pretty clear what people think of him and Johan. It makes sense, because they had promised each other that things like pictures and personal stuff would stay between them. Isak had kept everything from the guys, not showing as much as a single picture - not that any of them had asked. 

Magnus had asked about phone calls, which Johan had shut down very early; he wanted to wait to hear Isak’s voice until they met. Isak thought it was romantic - Magnus thought it was something only a catfish would do.

 

* * *

 

 

The party isn’t as small as Isak had hoped it would be. It is big. Filled with people from both Nissen, some other gymnasiums and the university. Along the walls, people are sitting on the couches Sana’s brother and his friends have set up. Some are already drunk enough that kissing and touching are no longer off limits.

Eva sits on one side of Jonas, who is saving a seat for Isak, when Isak arrives. She’s staring around at the people touching, while she rests a hand on Jonas’ thigh. Isak smiles at her as he sits down. He knows that feeling, wanting to show off a little. At least she has Jonas there, so they can act on it.

“You know, I just saw the guy Sana says she thinks you might like. He looks cool. Magnus said he’d be into him, so that’s a reference point for you,” Jonas says, instead of a simple hello.

“I have someone,” Isak says, crossing his arms. Jonas is just shaking his head.

“I still think Magnus has a point about him being fake, man.” 

Isak is already tuning him out again, looking around the room, scanning it for people that aren’t going to press the issue about Johan. He sees Sana and her brother talking to the rest of Elias’ friends. They always seem like none of them have a care in the world, laughing loudly after almost every time someone has spoken. Isak has only met two of them before. Elias, and of course Yousef. 

The others kind of mash together for Isak, mostly because they’ve never met or talked. Sana will bring names up when she mentions them, but they haven’t ever stuck with Isak. All he knows is how happy they all look, standing around Sana and her brother. 

They break up the conversation, the group turning to face the room together and Isak fucking freezes. Because it’s him! He is right there and he didn’t even write Isak to say he would be in Oslo, much less how he has friends in the city.

Isak just gets up and starts walking over to Johan. Is he going to punch him or hug him? There is no way to tell, because Isak’s body is just acting on it’s own, almost. Sana is smiling at him as he comes over. She comes towards him, stopping him right in front of Johan.

Before Isak can say anything, Sana starts introducing them.

“So, Isak, this is Elias’ friend Even,” she says, pointing right at Johan, who smiles and reaches his hand out toward Isak. It has to be a prank somehow.

“Even?” Isak says in a shaky voice as he lets his limp hand get shaken. There’s that smile Isak has been staring at on his phone for a few months now, but all Isak can feel is dread. His whole body feels almost numb. Even is saying something about the music, but Isak can’t hear a thing over the ringing in his head. It’s too much. It’s way to much.

Isak rips his hand out of Even’s hold and starts pushing through the party, headed outside. Jonas yells something that either the music or Isak’s own head eats up. 

The moment Isak is outside, he remembers that he will have to walk all the way home through Oslo. He’d arrived by bus, the last of which is long gone. Jonas had promised he could borrow a bike, either his or Eva’s, but the two of them are inside. If Jonas was coming to do damage control, he would be out doing it now. So Isak sits down, puts his head in his hands and tries to focus on breathing evenly. 

Someone sits down next to him. Isak looks over. Of course it’s Even, staring at him, eyebrows drawn together, worry painting his face. He only looks on as Isak tries to pull himself together. It almost feels like he knows what’s wrong already.

When Isak is done calming himself down, he sits up a little straighter. He accepts the beer Even is holding out to him, takes a few long sips and sits the can down between them. He knows he might have to explain himself, tries to find a word to start with, but comes up with nothing.

“I’m sorry,” is really all Isak can muster up. His phone vibrates. He takes it out and stares at the message from Johan.

  * _I have some time Tuesday and Wednesday, so let us meet up then. I can’t wait to see you!_



Isak almost throws his phone across the garden, but opts for putting it down way harder than he means to, frustrated that whoever is on the other end keeps going on, playing with him. That’s all it has been. Even is still looking at him like he understands, like he knows. 

“You looked upset. I hope it’s okay I came out here,” Even says after a a minute or two of silence. 

“I thought …” Isak still doesn’t know what to say. It’s fucking embarrassing, really. He just wants to sink into the ground.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I’m okay with silence. The party is very loud right now.” He doesn’t know, then. Isak takes his phone back out, opens up Tinder and finds Johan’s profile. Even’s face is smiling back at him from the screen. Isak hands him the phone and picks back up the beer. He looks over at the phone screen to see what Even is doing. He goes through some of the conversation Isak has had with Johan, shaking his head in disbelief.

Another text comes in, across the top of the screen.

  * _Isak? Answer me._



“Is that him, too?” Even asks. 

“Yeah, he gets antsy if I don’t respond quickly,” Isak says. He moves his eyes to stare into the can of beer, staring at the slight shine of the liquid. Even hands him back the phone. 

“I’m sorry,” Even says.

“It’s not like it’s actually you,” Isak says. The anger in the words just sort of comes out, even if he doesn’t mean to be angry. Because it has nothing to do with Even. The guy cannot help what Johan has done - it’s only on Johan and Johan alone. 

Maybe Isak’s good faith has had a hand in it, too. Being this easy to fool is stupid. Isak’s hands start to shake a little, again, while he keeps staring into the beercan. He sets it down and takes a deep breath.

“I’m still sorry this happened to you. I saw his profile a while back and tried to make him take it down, but he just blocked me.” Isak just nods at the words. “So I feel terrible that this happened to you. Both because I know it must feel fucking horrid to be used like that, but also because Sana showed me a picture of you yesterday and I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, because I really wanted to make a good impression.” It feels a little like he’s confessing a secret, trying to make Isak feel more comfortable. “But he took that away from me. Not that it is in any way the same he did to you.”

Isak still doesn’t know what to say. His phone buzzes a few times while they sit in silence, efter Even has finished speaking. Isak is still angry, because Even is right. Johan took meeting someone good, someone real, away from both of them; just for some fucking ego boost or whatever. 

“I wonder if you know him,” Isak says, just to say something. Maybe they both know Johan. Who knows who this person could be, really? Even shrugs and pulls out his phone.

“Give me his number, I’ll see if anything comes up.”

They look up the number in Even’s phone, but nothing comes up. Isak can tell Even is relieved at the fact, he doesn’t have to confront any of his friends. But Isak almost feels even more left behind, because he still doesn’t have a single clue who Johan might be.

“Most of the time, people like that just don’t like themselves very much,” Even says, “maybe we should do something, try to make you forget for a bit?”

Isak finishes his beer. 

“You don’t have to do shit with me just because you feel sorry for me.”

Even leans back and looks Isak over, almost like there’s suddenly a whole new person in front of him. He looks a little hurt. Isak knows there’s a bite in his tone, when he speaks the way he just did. Usually, he would be biting like that at Jonas or someone else that knows, but the beer and anger about Johan has an effect that makes him forget that Even doesn’t mean any harm.

“I’m sorry it happened, but I don’t feel sorry for you. I’m asking you because I want to. And maybe because I’m hoping you will smile at some point,” Even says, not moving his stare from Isak. He hardly even blinks while he speaks.

Isak wants to protest, but the next second Even is up, taking his hand and walking him towards a bike. When Isak sits down on the back of it as Even pushes off, he feels his phone vibrate again. He hates the feeling, all of a sudden. So he stares at the back of Even’s head, trying to focus on the real and understanding person taking him into the dark streets of Oslo. 

The end up going by Even’s place, picking up a few more cans of beer before heading to the harbour, where they sit and watch the water. There are a few boats that make their way by them, while they sit and talk. Sure, it takes Isak a while to move on from the topic of Johan. But his phone runs out of battery after a while, so the buzzing stops. Even is just there, laughing and talking. Isak can’t help but get swept up in the conversation. That sour undertone he had gotten used to with Johan is gone. Even is like sunlight, easy playful touches, throwing his head back laughing and jokes that tease but in no way burn, the way Johan’s might have done once in a while.

The beers are long gone when the sun starts showing as the night lags to an end. They walk back to the collective.

“I don’t really know how to thank you for you help,” Isak says, when they pull away from their goodbye-hug.

“You don’t need to thank me. But, you could give me your number, maybe?” Even looks a little shy for the first time during the night. Like he’s a little ashamed, because of that Johan has done, asking Isak for anything. 

“Sure,” Isak says. Honestly, he’s happy that Even isn’t letting Johan dictate his view of Isak. They’re not ignoring it, like this. They’re making the best of the situation, it feels like. After Isak is done typing in his number on Even’s phone, they share a few glances at each other. 

Maybe it’s the beer speaking. Isak leans in, pecks Even on the cheek, then hurries through the front door, before Even can say anything.

 

* * *

 

The next morning - or afternoon, really - when Isak wakes up and puts his phone in the charger. It blows up again, the moment he turns it on. Johan has sent an impressive amount of texts, where his speeding aggression and frustration shows right through. There are no slurs, but it feels bad either way. The last one ends the whole thing.

  * _I don’t want to see you, if you can’t even be happy that I’ve made time for you._



Isak goes do delete the entire thread, his thumb hovering over the little icon for a while. Then, his phone buzzes again, a delayed reaction to a message from an unknown number received the day before. It’s Even.

  * _Hi Isak! Do you want to meet up for coffee soon? My treat, I get an employee discount ;) Oh, it’s Even, if that wasn’t clear._



Suddenly, the need to confront Johan is gone and deleting the messages is no problem at all. Tinder disappears from his phone later that day, too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank for reading all the way to the end!
> 
> Sorry for any mistakes in terms of grammar - it got a little late and I have no-one to beta my stuff:)


End file.
